Stereo Total

[KRAUT-POP] Imagine Peaches’ raunchy irony but made cuter and more lo-fi. This is the sound Françoise Cactus and Brezel Göring have mastered over two decades in Berlin’s playful underground as Stereo Total. Amazingly, they have stayed their strange course over all these years. Their latest effort, 2012’s Cactus Versus Brezel, covers their usual ground from new wave to jangly garage with lyrics in French, German and heavily accented English. “Die Frau in der Musik” has a driving beat, a synth line to rival any classic French cold wave and, of course, an uncouth reference to a certain Führer, while “Nympho-maniaque” goes full-on 8-bit obnoxious. The highlight of the album is “We Don’t Wanna Dance,” in which Cactus itemizes all the hilarious reasons why not: They hate discotheques, they hate to move, they hate to sing along, they aren’t in love, they aren’t in the right mood, they’re late and bored, they prefer to stay in bed and their bed is big and square. Though sometimes intentionally annoying, Stereo Total’s music is certainly danceable, so if your bed is looking comfy, stay in it.